The prompt for today is “skyscape” but because yesterday I chose to post photographs of skies today I am changing my focus from rural to urban and from skyscape to skyscrapers (just add in two r r’s and an “s” and there you have it). The geometry, the light on the buildings and the contrast between landscape and hardscape attract my eye. Most of the photos, but not all, are of my hometown, NYC, the queen of skyscrapers.
Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn. I love to photograph this view because of the shapes, the ever changing light, and the reflections.The Chrysler Building (One of my favorite NYC skyscrapers) glimpsed between two buildings in Dag Hammarskjold Plaza.Hudson Yards, west side New York. So modern.Manhattan from Brooklyn Bridge Park. A classic skyline.New York City night skylineSee, didn’t I tell you, New York has the best skylines! (What a braggart!)Seen through Central Park trees.Caught a glimpse of this rainbow as I walked down the street after a city downpour. What a gift!
Let’s get away from New York for a bit even if our gull says it has the best skylines.
Redpath Museum MontrealPhilly at a street festival.Another in Philly near the museum.Minneapolis…love the colors and the reflection.Prague – old and new. Though not exactly skyscrapers I thought I’d sneak this one in.
And back to a few parting shots of ol’ NYC.
Through the rigging of the tall shipsTaken from the walkway by the East River looking under the Brooklyn Bridge.A quiet moment boating in Central Park.Disappearing in the mist like Brigadoon.
Looking forward to many more blue sky days. I’ll take you on a tour of blue skies I have photographed locally and in different parts of the world.
Let’s start near home.
The geese are coming home!Clouds over Sodom PondWrong season for today but a leaf floating in the sky. I love the colors of the leaves on the trees against the blue sky.Birches against a blue skyAlmost double rainbow in East Montpelier Cow huddle in East Montpelier farm. What do you think they’re discussing? not the color of the sky I’m sure.Double blue skies!I like looking up at the sky through tree branches.Canada Lilly. Love that combination of yellow and blue Heading towards evening, a different hue of blueFrom the plane, let’s take a little trip out of Vermont
Starting with New Mexico
Colors of the butte against a blue sky reminds me of the leaves in the autumn trees in New EnglandPurple and bluePretty prickly
Then on to Japan.
Coming in for a landingAt the airport Not very blue over the Pacific Ocean Through the church windowsBy the Crane MuseumCrane in flightFrom a boat in the Pacific Ocean looking over into the boundary with RussiaShip in Japanese harborBonsai against a blue sky
Next on to Portugal
At their beautiful beachesLighthouse, blue ocean blue sky.Church looks like it’s blowing smoke.On a boat going through the archway.Looking down at the flowers from a boardwalk From the tower windowStatue of a storybook characterThree sails to the wind and off we go!
The prompt for the day today was rivers but I am broadening it to “water” because it is that time of year. The earth (at least in Vermont) is swelling, running, bursting with water, giving birth to Spring.
Rivers
The Winooski viewed from the State Street Bridge in MontpelierVermont Rivers collage
Waterfalls
Shangri-La in Adamant VTVermont waterfalls collage
Definitely not in Vermont. Costa Rica. Click on it to see and hear the rushing waters
Reflections in Water
Cloud reflection in an East Montpelier pondReflection of rocks in the Adamant Quarry
I’m always intrigued by reflections in puddles.
Reflection of trees and sky in a puddle. This one was taken on a trail in Japan Tree reflection in a rut on Sodom Pond road Reflection in puddle on Sodom Pond roadIn puddle on East Montpelier trail
More reflections in ponds
Reflection of heron in Sodom PondThrough the melting ice A little bit of blue sky reflected in the melting ice on Sodom Pondn
I’m feeling a bit waterlogged…how about you?
Just one more peaceful water scene to send me off to sleep.
This is an announcement of an upcoming Adamant Co-op Gallery show, titled Composition, Decomposition in which I have a few pieces:
“We plan, arrange, construct, compose; create order for the eye, the ear, the life. Yet nothing lasts forever. Breakdown is inevitable — sometimes random, sometimes planned.
Our spring exhibit at the Adamant Co-op Gallery considers Composition and Decomposition through music, painting, assemblage, photography, collage, and interactive and still life installations. By putting these works in conversation with each other, we hope to enhance viewers’ appreciation of the specific works and artwork in general.
Work by Liz Benjamin • Heidi Broner • Paul Cate • Joni Clemons • Ruth Coppersmith • Cathleen Daley • Lois Eby • Karen Kane • Janet MacLeod • Susan Bull Riley • John Snell • Kep Taylor • Dan Thorington
Exhibit dates are March 15 – April 15, with an opening reception onSaturday, March 21, 1-3pm.
** SPECIAL EVENT: Liz Benjamin will present a professional recording of GONE, GONE, her original composition for viola and piano, at 1:45 at the opening reception **
We hope you can join us!
All our best from the gallery,
Janet MacLeod, Joni Clemons, Karen Kane”
Here are a few pieces of my art work that will be in the Adamant gallery “Composition, Decomposition” show.
Hope maybe some of you locals will stop by to see the show. For the rest of you here’s a glimpse of the pieces I will have in the show with titles and descriptions:
Loss of Flight
Butterfly wings found on Sodom Pond Road nested in a ceramic bowl covered with a glass plate (to protect them from my cat.)
Wedding Remnants
This assemblage represents remnants of a Jewish wedding. The dried flower the memory of joy and beauty now faded; the broken glass a symbol of the traditional end to a Jewish wedding where a wineglass is stepped on and crushed. This act has many possible meanings: It signifies endings and new beginnings; the balancing of immense joy with deep solemnity; a reminder of the fragility of life and relationships. The ribbon could be a piece of the wedding chuppah (canopy). All is enclosed in a glass case protected but still ephemeral.
What Remains
This is an assemblage of bits and pieces of natural objects left on the earth after they have begun to decompose – eggshells, seaweed, moss, a snakeskin, and a bat skeleton, all in a belljar. A somewhat apocalyptic vision.
Here is another bat composition not in the show.
Bat skeletons line dancing
And another Decomposition/Composition
Photo of a burnt out tractor in my neighbor’s yard transformed into a drawing of a crab. Wonder what the little crab in the corner thinks…
That’s all for now. Think I’ll compose myself to sleep.💤
Today is International Women’s Day so I’m thinking of all the girls and women who were and are, an important part of my life. Some are family, some friends, some mentors and guides, some mentees, some well known in the world. I am grateful to all for shaping who I am today.
Here is a photo collage of just a few of them.
Hope this will encourage you to think of all the important women in your life and give them thanks.
JapanPortugalPrague Prague againHomeless man in Prague feeding a kittenSpainSpainMexicoJerusalemSanta FeMontrealUp in a tree – don’t remember where
Images of cats
MarionetteCheshire Cat in Alice in WonderlandLibrary wall fountain Cat pillow in back of Bread and Puppet bus
Sometimes I think of my cat as a sphinx
Inscrutable
A birthday card for a friend who loves cats
Remember those three cats in the photo from Montreal? The rainbow photo is one I took in East Montpelier
So many words start with cat – some have to do with cats: catfish, cattails, catwalk, catnip, catnap, catbird, catcall, catfight, catfooted, caterwaul, and of course catamount…and some have nothing whatsoever to do with felines: catalyst, cataract, category, cataclysmic, catatonic, catamaran, catalpa, catalog…oh I could go on and on but I’ll stop with catsup and catapult myself to bed hopefully for more than just a catnap.
But a couple of things from yesterday’s post that didn’t get in so I’m trying again. Wish me luck.
Colored Pencil drawing
Now some sounds of Spring
A very poor recording I made…hope I can get it to work technically so you can hear it. If not I’ll give up on this one. If you can hear it see if you can recognize the sounds – it starts with Spring rain and ends with drops in the bucket, with some bird and frog sounds in between.
The prompt today was “melting” but I prefer “Spring Thaw”
Spring is right around the corner! Let’s hear a few snippets and take a few glimpses of it.
Daffodils poking up through the snow. My front path in March last yearDaffodils, Jonquil and CrocusesMarch sun on muddy Adamant Road. Not my favorite thing about Spring (I mean the muddy roads not the sun).Some very poorly recorded sounds of Spring. See if you can recognize some of them. The recording starts with rain and ends with a drop in the bucket, with some frogs and birds in between..Speaking of frogs, I love frogs!Poor things! Too often they’re casualties of road traffic..Frogs legs, a French delicacy? Oh YUK! Oddly they remind me of the Radio City Rockettes
Okay Ruth, pretty weird comparison
Enough with the frogs, let’s end with some rousing music – Vivaldi’s Four Seasons – Spring…
Well the prompt for today was “Full Moon” I revised it a bit to just “Moon”. You will see why in a moment.
First just a few moody moon photos:
Daytime moonMoon over Haneda airport in Japan while coming in for a landing Rorschach artist moon Shining down on a street in PragueOver the Pacific OceanOver Sodom PondShining on my garage roofTrying to hide behind thin cloudsPhoto collage with assemblage of dead frog dancing in the moonlight – some kind of strange fairytale?
As you can tell I like taking pictures of moons…
Okay that’s enough mooning over moons. I’m getting sleepy.
It never worked for me to try to go to sleep by counting sheep…maybe I’d do better imagining myself sleeping in the cradle of a crescent moon.
Nothing like the warm glow of candles on a dark and wintry night
A cup of tea, Shabbat candles (I made the candlesticks and tray in my favorite clay class) and my kitty to cozy up to me and keep me company. Altogether they make winter not so bad.
Then there’s the glow of a full moon over the ocean
Photo taken on the Pacific Northwest Coast.
Or the moon over sparkling city lights
New York from an apartment window near the East River in Manhattan, my hometown. Sometimes it shines.
coppsky 